Apartment Association and Volunteers ....Mid-Day Meetings For Committees?!?

I'm not sure if anyone has experience this or if it is the normal thing with Apartment Associations around the world. Every year around this time we are ask to Volunteer for different committees. I love to Volunteer and help out all the time. So of course I had to sign up for a few committees that I was really interested in. Well today I got my first email about the Education Committee meeting this month and its at 3 p.m. in the afternoon at the Association Building. When I ask why it was during working hours and if we could skype in and mention that I thought it was a conspiracy theory ( in a joking manner)I was given a nice polite but firm email from the Head of the Association. Well apparently I guess volunteers in the past did not like having to go to the meetings at night after work and was told there would be no skyping but I could submit my ideas in an email format (that may never be read if I had to work. So I look at the contacts that the email went out to and saw that allot of the people on the committee were vendors like For Rent, Apartment Finders, Apartment.Com which is great but I only counted three apartment personal actually out in the field. Then I realized that if I wanted to volunteer I had to leave my job early that I get paid hourly for and that some of those professionals maybe paid on salary so its no big deal if they leave early. Then I thought if we are having an education committee shouldn't there be more of us in the management offices on the committee voicing our oppinion about what we want to learn more on. I thought well that will never happen if we have meetings in the middle of the work day where its not easy for us to use our lunch hour to go to
(for some its a twenty minute drive there). I guess I thought if you volunteer you already know its going to be after hours and the point was so that you had a good variety at the meetings. Dose anyone else fined it weird that the meetings are in the middle of the day? This really bothers me because I think we are going to miss out on allot of great ideas because of the times of the meetings. What are your thoughts on the Apartment Association & Volunteering? What times are your committee meetings? I really want to know.


Thanks

Jolene Sopalski
Assistant Manager
Finlay Management,LLC

Our apartment association holds it's monthly meetings over the lunch hour. The board and committee meetings which are open to all members are held in a similar fashion. The education committee and association ask for suggestions from all members regarding what programs and events should occur.

As for the vendors that are involved in the committees and on the board, one thing to keep in mind is that many people that work with the mulit-family industry as a vendor for the most part started off in the industry or worked in the industry at one time or another and several of them have extensive experience from being leasing professionals, community managers, area and regional managers.

I have no problem with Vendors being apart of the committees. We can learn allot from each other. I just thought it was werid to have a volunteer commitee meeting in the middle of the day when people are working. I gusse in theory if I'm volunteering I should just give my two and half hours of pay up to go and participate. But at the same time who can really afford to do that. So in a way you can really only volunteer if you are on salary. I love my apartment association just think it is werid that you would have a volunteer committee meeting in the middle of the day when people are working. For some the location is twenty to thirty minutes away so its not easy to take lunch.

I was just wondering if this was the normal thing.

Our Association has a combination of morning, midday and later afternoon meetings. Both the Board and the committees consist of a mixture of apartment personnel and vendors. This has been the norm for NM for 20+ years.

What concerns me is that you would have to "clock out" to participate at an Association meeting. Having worked in the industry for 18 years, I've never been asked for my time donated to the Association to be exempt from my regular pay. Regardless if I was paid salary or hourly.

Waite you get paid to go to the meetings? I know with my old company I work for when I ask to go to the meetings for the committee I was told that I would have to clock out it was not a company meeting. So I knew that financially I could not afford it. Now with the new company I'am with I'm not sure what the policy is but our property just had a major staff change so I don't for see my being able to go to the Dec meeting. I did submit my ideas in email format. I just wonder how many others we are losing by not having the meeting at 4:30 or later? What would be a solution to this problem? Maybe it just bothers me and no one else?

Do you get paid when you attend a class through the apartment association?
I am on an education committe and once a month we meet during the day. Could you just comp your time that week to maintain your hours?

When I was with my old company I only remeber being allowed to go to one meeting and it was on social media in feb 2009 and yes I was paid then. But for the volunteer ones I was told I had to clock out for those because they were durring bussiness hours. I love learning and really wanted to be on this committee so maybe I could push more leasing and marketing classes. All I ever saw come across was Maintenance. I gusse its the normall thing to have them durring the day. Oh well. I really don't know how my new company works but like I said we just had a major staff change and well lets just say I'll be the only one there for awhile . Some how I don't think they will let me close the office down for two to three hours for the meeting. On a side note I had asked a couple of others in the industry and ask why they did not volunteer and they had the same problem I did because of the time in mid-day.

This is an interesting issue, Jolene! I happen to agree with Kelle that I would hope that your company realized that it is important to volunteer with the association. Unless you are going overboard with committees and it is hurting your ability to consistently do your job, I hope they would be flexible with you. If they simply refuse, could you ask if they would allow you to work late on the night that you had a meeting? For example, set aside some things you can do if the office is closed, such as preparing lease documents.

Okay I think we have gotten off the whole issue at had and that is why have a volunteer committe meeting durring bussiness hours? If you ask for volunteers why not make it accessible for everyone not just a select few. I think you are hurting yourself by having a meeting durring the work day by excluding those who just can't get off of work because the property manager wont allow or your a one staff office now. I have talk to six people who said they don't volunteer because they can't go to the meetings because of the timeis furring the work hours, that if it was at night they would. Its almost feels like highschool again you know where if you are not the popular person you don't get included or like the secret meetings of the cia. Anyways Im probably making a way to big deal of this then it is. On a side note the old company I used to work for two months ago I could not go to the meetings on company time. The new company I don't know the policy waiting on answer.

Okay I think we have gotten off the whole issue at had and that is why have a volunteer committe meeting durring bussiness hours? If you ask for volunteers why not make it accessible for everyone not just a select few. I think you are hurting yourself by having a meeting durring the work day by excluding those who just can't get off of work because the property manager wont allow or your a one staff office now. I have talk to six people who said they don't volunteer because they can't go to the meetings because of the timeis furring the work hours, that if it was at night they would. Its almost feels like highschool again you know where if you are not the popular person you don't get included or like the secret meetings of the cia. Anyways Im probably making a way to big deal of this then it is. On a side note the old company I used to work for two months ago I could not go to the meetings on company time. The new company I don't know the policy waiting on answer.

Jolene--I love that you are bringing this up. I had never thought about it in that way before. I also love your commitment to the industry and wanting to make a difference. This is what we need to see more of for sure!

At our association, I think the preference has always been for business hours because people want to get home to their families and such. And most companies allow the time off if reasonable. Also, at least one of our Office Staff is a sitting member of each committee, and so they are stuck having meetings within their paid office hours.

However, we also run into the problem of not having enough on-site members to be part of most committees. Quite a dilemma. My biggest suggestion would be for all associations to leave that up to the members of each committee. If they are willing to meet after hours or towards the end of the day, why not do so? Grab dinner or cocktails together. Spring for take out one night. If you can find a time that works, then jump on it. What committees aren't looking for members who are fresh and excited about the task?!

Don't give up. We need you and your passion!

I love the idea of leaving it up to the committee's on the meeting time, as a group. I know people want to go home to their families at night. But if you are volunteering for something you know that you are going to give up some of your time. My significant other is very understanding when it comes to this industry, heck he works for one of the Vendor companies. He knows if there a meeting that I need to go to we have to make arrangements with our children. Besides its not like the committee meetings are every month. I also like the idea that one property has a representative for each committee that is stuck being paid to go. Okay so we have some solution to my issues that are at hand. What else can we do to make the meetings accessible to others? I liked the idead of Skyping in to the meeting because that way I feelt like at least I was being heard and participating at the same time not shirking my duties at work.

It feels like high school or the CIA? Really? I doubt there is a conspiracy to keep the "non-popular" people out. If your company doesn't allow you to take the time off that's a shame but it is their policy and there a a whole lot of people out there who would be happy to work the hours your company is making you work.
That being sadi, it is unfortunate that your association doesn't schedule different times in order to accomodate everyone - for instance, one month during the day, the next month early morning, then an evening meeting and so on. That way everyone could have a chance to participate. But remember some people may not be able to attend just in the evening. That works for you but it may not for someone else.
Is there anything else you can do to help out with your association that doesn't require attending meetings?

Um Laurie...it was just a statement that was said in a joking way...jeez. Now that was my previouse company that would require that I clock out for the volunteer meetings not my new company. Maybe you should read more before you jump in this has all been address in the other post. Oh I love my job and love the industry which is why I was dissapointed that I could not participate in the Association meetings like I would want to because of the meeting hours. Are you looking for a job is that why your post is so negative in the begining? This was not meant to be a negative discussion it was meant to be insightful and it has on mayn levels.Now those are great ideas that you suggested and it should be brought up but as a friend of mine pointed out if the association in general vote for mid-day volunteer meetings then that is how it is. There is nothing I can do about that or anyone else because heck we could not be there at the meetings to vote. I'm sure there are other things I can do like attend the association dinners which I do on the second thursday a month. P.S. I hope you have a fantastic day!

Sounds like something worthwhile to bring up with your association. Hard to say how many others are out there that would like to contribute, but can't afford to take time off for one reason. Is the association receptive to some changes?

I'm shocked that your company doesn't support participation in the local association. Unfortunately, the staff of most of associations like to work the same hours as the property staff therefore meetings are held during business hours rather than before or after work. I would also say that association staff are some of the hardest working people I have ever seen and they work many hours beyond normal working hours for all the events. Perhaps you can discuss this with your supervisor about participating and networking with your association.

I'm shocked that your company doesn't support participation in the local association. Unfortunately, the staff of most of associations like to work the same hours as the property staff therefore meetings are held during business hours rather than before or after work. I would also say that association staff are some of the hardest working people I have ever seen and they work many hours beyond normal working hours for all the events. Perhaps you can discuss this with your supervisor about participating and networking with your association.

My current company dose support the association meetings but can not let us leave durring the office hours for the volunteer meetings that are held mid-day. I love the association just was surprise by the volunteer meetings being held durring bussiness hours when people work and are not able to come. It is my old company that I used to work for that if you wanted to go you had to have your time deducted from pay and for many of us on hourly that was hard to do. They also were very involved in the association and encourage participation after work hours. I have been given many solutions to bring up the next time I'm at an association dinner or maybe I will send an email.

I know they work very hard and are very fantastic smart people who run the association. They do allot for the industry.